The Hot Seat: They Shoot Lions Don't They?

Animals are becoming extinct at an unprecedented rate. Widespread species extinction is upon us and a radical new approach to conservation through anti-intuitive methods such as having native pets and controlled commercial hunting may teach us to truly value and protect wildlife, before it's too late. But can conservationists make the radical leap in their mentality to promote these practices?

They Shoot Lions Don't They? is the intriguing title of a lively panel discussion, the latest in the University of New South Wales series, "The Hot Seat". It's a reference to what's called the "sustainable use of wildlife", the basic premise being that animals are no longer safe in the wild.

The experts on the panel, including the former Australian Museum director Mike Archer, now think putting a price on the heads of our most endangered species might make us value them enough to save them from extinction.

The new RiAus Director Paul Willis (ex ABC "Catalyst") is the moderator.

Professor Mike Archer is the former head of the Australian Museum. During his time there, he was the initiator of attempts to clone 'Thylacinus cynocephalus', the Tasmanian Tiger, an animal extinct since 1936. He is currently a professor at the UNSW School of Biological Sciences and has co-written a book "Go Native" that, amongst other things, deals with his experiences of having an Australian native quoll as a pet.

Greg Miles is a former Kakadu ranger with more than twenty years experience in the Top End. He is also an avid turtle and reptile breeder.

Dr Rosie Cooney is a sustainable wildlife consultant. She has worked for six years for international conservation organisations including the World Conservation Union and WWF. Her work focuses on biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, with a strong emphasis on finding approaches that both meet human needs and conserve biodiversity. She is currently a Visiting Fellow at Fenner School of Environment and Society at Australian National University.

Keith Leggett is the founder of the Namibian Elephant and Giraffe Trust, an organisation dedicated to the long-term sustainability of Namibia's desert elephant and giraffe through research and education. He has spent 18 years in southern Africa working for NGOs in Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia engaged in wildlife conservation, natural resource management and ecotourism. He is currently Director of UNSW's Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station.

Comments (10)

Lachlan :

27 Jun 2011 10:51:36am

All I can say is about time we see a little intelligent thinking re. environmental conservation. Im from a rural area, had native pets, a hunter and studying at uni, and was appauled at the lack of basic knowledge many people have re. natural systems. Hopefully further discussions such as these lead to improvements and action.

GlenB :

John :

17 Jun 2011 9:43:48pm

What a breath of fresh air. After being forced to watch and not touch and see waste of our native species people are recognising there value.Good on you panel where have you people been in the past. Or is it you to have had to review your ideas of how to save our unique species. Hunters have tried to encourage adaptive management to ensure slected water bird species are valued and used.

Steve :

16 Jun 2011 5:07:59pm

What a great topic and spot on the answer, we need more thinkers like this, sustainable widlife management, putting value on our wildlife for protection is not new the US, Europe and Africa found this out years ago.Conservation through sustainable use, private keeping, hunting and private land management a must??

Random Roo :

16 Jun 2011 12:37:33pm

The experts on the show quite obviously know more about the subject than the buearocrats. The two questions left unanswered are why don't gov. departments show any common sense, and two how do we limit population growth which is the biggest threat of all. Some of the answers are in "Eyes Wise " available on Amazon.

Barbara Latham :

16 Jun 2011 4:01:06am

What can we do to force the government to change its 'mind' regarding the re-listing of cane toads as a PEST, please?ANDto give support to the proposal of keeping smaller native animals as 'pets, please?Do we write letters, hold rallies......? Something must be done, apart from dramatically slowing the unnecessary, forced increase of Australia's population via immigration. If we cannot sustain our native animals lives, how can we possibly sustain massive human population in this the driest continent on Earth?

Caroline :

16 Jun 2011 8:54:40pm

Cane toads are listed as a pest species - they are listed as a key threatening process under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). A threat Abatement Plan was released last year which can be downloaded from environment.gov.au and you can read about Australian Government policy here: http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/ferals/cane-toads.html.

The Australian Government has also done research into keeping small mammals as pets through the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC). They have been investigating species such as the eastern quoll. I know they found this species to be particularly charismatic and definitely showed potential. Just not sure of how far the issue has progressed post report.

Caroline :

sylvanheart :

15 Jun 2011 4:01:54pm

I could barely believe it when I flicked onto Big Ideas this lazy Wednesday morning.I simultaneously felt like jumping for joy and weeping with heartache ~ my father {Kiwi~born} conveyed the concept of keeping our dear native animals as pets to me when I was a little girl and I was MESMERISED.. and have been dreaming of my very own Quoll or similar gorgeous little mammal for the past 20 yrs.I grew up on a 1500 acre property and my family decided early on that we would not keep dogs or cats as to encourage the native wildlife to flourish up close. Our backyard is often visited by Bandicoots, Echidnas etc and all sorts of precious birds.. what joy these could bring to the wider population.